The expression of design is displayed by such forms and dispositions, as shall at once point out that they are works of art. Thus regularity and uniformity are recognised in the rudest works of man, and point out his employment of art and expense in their construction. Hence tne lines, sur faces, and forms of geometric gardening should be different, and in some degree opposed to those of general nature. Irregular surfaces, lines, or forms, may be equaliy useful, alike works of art, and, considered with reference to other beauties, may he more agreeable than such as arc regular; but, if too prevalent, they might be mistaken for the pro duction of nature, in which case they would lose the beauty of design ; " but forms perfectly regular, and divisions completely uniform, immediately excite the belief of design, and, with this belief, all the admiration which follows the employment of skill and expense." Ground in level or re gular slopes, or in hills or hollows of symmetrical shapes ; woods of right lined boundaries ; trees, and especially such as are foreign to the soil, planted equidistantly in masses, in quincunx, or in straight rows ; water in architectural basins, regular canals, or fountains ; walks, and woods, of uniform width and perfectly straight, straight walls and hedges, are easily distinguished from nature's management of these materials, and are highly expressive of the hand of man.
Another reason why regular forms are satisfactory, Mr. Stewart (Philosophical Essays, 238.) derives from the principle of a sufficient reason, adopted by Leibnitz, " What is it, that in any thing which is merely ornamental, and which at the same time does not profess to be an imita tion of nature, renders irregular forms displeasing ? is it not, at least in part, that irregularities are infinite ; and that no circumstance can be imagined, which should have decided the choice of the artist in favour of that particular figure which he has selected ? The variety of regular figures (it must be acknowledged) is infinite also; but supposing the choice to be once fixed about the number of sides, no apparent caprice of the artist, in adjusting their relative proportions, prevents a disagreeable and inexpli cable puzzle to the spectator." In the progress of the arts, the expression of design, though at first difficult, becomes afterwards easy, and ren ders regularity and uniformity only expressive of com mon design. Hence, to confer a character of superiority in works of design, variety would be introduced; and as uniformity was the sign of design, so uniformity and va riety would become the sign of improved or embellished design. " Considering, therefore, forms in this light as beautiful, merely from their expression of design, the ob servation of Dr. Hutcheson may perhaps he considered as an axiom with regard to their beauty, viz. That where the uniformity is equal, the beauty of forms is in pro portion to their variety ; and when their variety is equal, their beauty is in proportion to their uniformity." (Alison's Essays, p. 106.) To this stage, in the progress of design, may be re ferred the architectural ornaments introduced in garden scenery, such as seats, ilcliogs, statues, urns; and in the later stages of the ari; 'Serpentine walks, labyrinths, ver dant sculpture, and many other improvements. The va
riety and embellishment thus conferred on the arts, pro duced in time many absurdities that we would not Wish to see resorted to with a revival of the ancient style, un less in examples considered solely with a view to imita tion.* The sculpture of trees, however, might, when first introduced, be greatly admired, even by men of sense, for its novelty, and the discovery of a certain degree of skill in the artist ; but as, in our times, they would neither be new or meritorious, they could scarcely be consistently introduced with a view to embellish design.
To prevent variety from degenerating into confusion, and, as Mr. Stewart characteristically expresses it, " puz zle the spectator," unity of intention must never be lost sight of. This, indeed, is necessarily implied in every work of art, since, without it, the slightest attempt at design would only end in a chaos of materials.
Fitness, or the proper adaptation of means to an end, is the second source of the relative beauty of forms. Con sidered in relation to the parts of a building, it is gene rally denominated proportion,' and refers to the adequate strength of certain parts to bear certain weights, &c. In the detail of the ancient, and in scenes of relative beauty in the modern style of gardening, it relates to the mag nitude and situations of buildings, and other artificial ob jects, relative to natural ones—to the extent of the dif ferent scenes or constituent parts of a residence, com pared to the whole—to the propriety and congruity of cer tain objects as ornaments—and, in general, to the ade quacy of means to an end, whatever these means or that end may be.
Utility is the third source of the relative beauty of forms. None of the other beauties will compensate for the entire want of utility in any scene of architecture or gardening. Objects at first thought beautiful, soon lose this expres sion when they are found to be of no use ; and others, with first impressions the most disagreeable, are felt to become beautiful as they are known to be useful. " This species of beauty," Mr. Alison observes, " is in itself productive of a much weaker emotion than that which arises from the different sources of ornamental beauty ; but it is of a more constant and permanent kind, and much more uniformly fitted to excite the admiration of mankind." (Essays on Taste, vol. ii. p. 201.) " To unite these different kinds of beauty ; to dignify ornamental forms also by use ; and to raise merely useful forms into beauty ; is the great object of ambition among every class of artists. Wherever both these objects can be attained, the greatest possible beauty that form can receive will be produced. But as this can very seldom be the case, the following rules seem•nime diately to present themselves for the direction of the artist : 1. That where the utility of forms is equal, that will be the most beautiful to which the most pleasing expression of form is given.